We all know that fruit juice is a good way to get more valuable nutrients in our diets as recommended by health experts, but how do you know whether to buy fruit juice concentrate, fresh fruit juice or healthy fruit juice? How can you find natural fruit juice as opposed to those that are polluted with fertilizers and pesticides? Before picking up the first container of fruit juice you find at the supermarket, check out the following tips to make sure you don’t feed your family more sugar than fruit by buying the wrong fruit juice products.

1. Know the nutritional differences between 100% fruit juice and a fruit drink.Check the packaging of fruit beverages to find out whether it contains 100% fruit juice, or whether the beverage is a mixture of fruit juice and high fructose corn syrup. While you might prefer the sugary taste of the mixed fruit drink, you will get more nutrients from the 100% fresh squeezed juice or juice from concentrate. The “Nutrition Facts” panel on the carton will reveal whether the product is juice only, or a mixture of juices supplemented by other ingredients, like corn syrup, sugar, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and canthaxanthin (for color). Check the ingredients section carefully to find out exactly what you are purchasing.

2. Discover the amount of sugar added to fruit juice in a mixed beverage product.

The average fruit juice mixture has just 10 percent natural fruit juice, although some products contain more. Pure fruit juice, on the other hand, contains no sugar or other additives. If you don’t mind having sweeteners in the form of fructose corn syrup or natural sugar added to your juice beverage, at least find out how much sugar has been added before you assume it is beneficial. Some juice products have a similar amount of sugar as carbonated soft drinks do, which can have a detrimental effect on people’s teeth, insulin production and nutritional intake. Children, especially, may experience an increase in dental cavities from the combination of excessive sugar intake and the natural acids found in fruit juice. A 12-ounce can of carbonated soda has about 12 teaspoons of sugar, and some juices can have nearly that much. Look for fruit juice products that contain far less sugar than that.

3. Serve limited amounts of sugar-added fruit juice.

Due to the sugar content and decreased nutritional value of fruit juice beverages with sugar added, don’t substitute it for natural fruit juice, which has higher amounts of nutrients like potassium and protein than the adulterated versions. Compared to soda pop, sweetened fruit juice has a similar number of calories, and not much more nutritional value, so keep that in mind when packing kids’ lunches or serving it for meals or snacks.

4. Alternate fruit juice beverages with other drinks.

Rather than drinking several servings of fruit juice each day, stick with one six-ounce glass of fresh fruit juice or fruit juice concentrate per day. At other times of the day, consider having tea (herbal, green or black) or milk. Don’t forget to aim for eight glasses of water daily (about eight ounces each). Pure, clean water can fill you up, clean you out, and keep your bodily organs functioning, as they should. The more sugary drinks people have, the more they develop a taste for them. Drinking clear water, on the other hand, encourages us to be satisfied with its pleasant, untainted taste.

5. Be wary of fruit juice snacks.

Certain kinds of jelly-style candies are sold as juice-enhanced treats. In reality, they usually contain 10 percent or less of fruit juice, and very few nutrients. Don’t be misled into thinking you’re doing your kids a favor by giving them candy of this type. High in sugar and low in nutritional value, such treats are thinly disguised candies that do little, if anything, to guard a child’s health. When choosing treats for your kids, compare calories, nutrients and sugar content to find the best available products.

6. Substitute whole fruits for juice as healthy snack alternatives.

Ounce for ounce, fresh fruits are lower in calories and higher in nutrients than concentrated juice that is squeezed from pulp. Plus, whole fruits have more fiber, which promotes intestinal health, and they tend to be more satisfying and filling than a glass of juice. For meals or snacks, serve sliced fruits individually or in tempting combinations instead of the basic glass of natural fruit juice.

It’s easy for parents to believe that fruit juice is good for kids to drink because they think it has little or no sugar. But you have to read the nutrition panels on packaged juices to learn about the amount of sugar such products contain. Just because a bottle of juice comes from fruit does not mean that it is completely good to drink. Serve it sparingly, in conjunction with other healthy snacks, so kids don’t get in the habit of filling up on juice as a perpetual snack beverage, or they will start to put on unwanted pounds.

When you go grocery shopping, find out if the store carries 100 percent fruit juice beverages, or whether the fruit juice drinks are mixed with fructose for added sweetness. If the store doesn’t have the healthy version of fruit juice, ask if certain brands can be ordered, explaining what you do and don’t want in your fruit juice beverages. Compare the cost of buying frozen concentrate with fresh-squeezed brands of your favorite juices.

Natural fruit juice comes in many flavors, so consider varying the type you offer to your family so they don’t get tired of the healthy brand of juice. But on the other hand, you don’t necessarily have to keep it on hand day in and day out, because people will drink it up fast if you do. Maintain variety when you plan beverages other than water for the family, especially those involving fruit juice.

Fresh fruit juice used to be served in 6-ounce portions for breakfast, which may be the ideal serving size that lets people enjoy the taste and get their nutrients without having beverages that are full of sugar. It is important not to get carried away with drinking too much fruit juice. Check with your doctor to see if there are recommended amounts that are different from what this article proposes. Nutritional experts suggest three to five servings of fruit and veggies per day, so eat more fresh fruits to get all the fruit you need without depending too heavily on fresh fruit juice.

It’s a good idea to teach kids the value of satisfying tastes beyond the sweet tooth. While craving sugary foods is natural to a point, be sure they are given the opportunity to try other tasty foods that may provide healthy alternatives to fructose supplements that have been added to fruit juice.

These include different types of milk like1%, 2%, buttermilk. There is also hot chocolate and apple cider.

Too much of anything can be bad for you, and fruit juice—sweetened or otherwise—falls into this category. Eat, drink and be merry, but not by drinking too much fructose in your sweetened fruit juice beverages!

What's Your Lunch Room IQ?

You probably have childhood memories of the lunch lady at your school cafeteria. The one who both cooked and served up the daily entree and side dishes. But these days, most school kids aren't so lucky. Snack bars and vending machines have taken over. Test your lunchtime IQ with this school cafeteria quiz: